Football
Features
Liverpool goes it alone | Why an ‘independent’ US tour offered the club more than the ICC
Liverpool FC decided to arrange its own tour of the United States this summer, rather than compete in the pre-season International Champions Cup, because the club preferred to be "independent" and have more freedom to arrange opponents, dates and venues.
Ligue 1 stages US games to attract new investors and bridge gap to Serie A and the Bundesliga
As France's Ligue 1 is staging a four-team tournament in Washington DC this week, Bob Williams looks at how it aims to expand its reach into the US and improve overseas media-rights income.
Charlie Marshall, managing director ECA, on Uefa club competition reform
Highlights of Charlie Marshall, managing director of the European Club Association, in conversation at the Sports Decision Makers Summit in London.
How football clubs can cash in on the game’s changing investment landscape
Capital investors’ interest in football clubs is growing; their increasing profitability has attracted more new types of investor. But what does this mean for clubs and how can they best approach the opportunities and challenges? Jonathan Dyson investigates.
Thailand football association urges clarity on Asean 2034 World Cup bid
Football Association of Thailand president Somyot Poompunmuang believes that more clarity needs to be given about an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) 2034 World Cup bid, especially on which…
The Long Read | Potential investors will do well to look closely at the football deals of Endeavor and Wanda Sports
With Endeavor and Wanda Sports both preparing for IPOs, Frank Dunne looks at how the media rights strategies of their respective buying arms, the IMG and Infront agencies, fit into the two groups’ portfolios and explains why potential investors would be advised to look carefully at the small print around some key football deals.
Brazilian club football is shown the light, but chooses to remain in the dark
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A will be the only major football league in the world without international, local-language distribution in 2019. Callum McCarthy looks at why Brazilian club football lags behind its European counterparts.
US team enters Women’s World Cup with heavy expectations, wage fight
Faced with their own lofty expectations, following last year's no-show by the US men's team and now embroiled in a legal challenge regarding pay equity, the American women's squad arrives to the 2019 Fifa Women's Cup with much on their shoulders. Randy Williams reports.
Time to monetise | The football clubs turning Chinese engagement into revenues
Many European football clubs are aiming to convert their large Chinese fanbases into significant new revenue streams. However, they must adapt to this complex market in order to capitalise on its huge potential. Jonathan Dyson reports from Shanghai.
Heineken calls for Uefa to ‘nurture’ sponsors with more free-to-air Champions League coverage
Hans Erik Tuijt, director global sponsorships, Heineken, speaks to Ben Cronin about the brand’s 25-year association with the Uefa Champions League and how it plans to activate its rights at this year’s final in Madrid.
Governing bodies have plans for women’s football but is the pace of change fast enough?
Fifa and Uefa have both unveiled strategies for the long-term development of women's football. Frank Dunne examines what it would take to put female competitions on an equal footing with their male equivalents.
Can new Bundesliga domestic and international deals prove 50+1 isn’t holding it back?
German football has earned praise for its blend of ideological purity and commercial nous, but calls to reform restrictions on private ownership and investment are growing. With the Bundesliga’s media rights coming to market, Callum McCarthy explores how the league’s commercial performance over the next 18 months could shape its long-term future.
Crystal Palace aims to become sponsors’ “club of choice in London”
South London football club Crystal Palace is a model for aspirational second-tier teams. The club's commercial director, Barry Webber, tells Adam Nelson how a nimble and flexible commercial strategy has helped the club to capitalise on its top-flight status.
Spurs and Somerset lead the way on growing retail through social, but clubs still leaving money on the table
Research from marketing agency Red Hot Penny suggests clubs across the UK need major rethink of how they convert social engagement into retail sales
9 revenue-generating features at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth beacons capture crowd movements
Catering JV to offer more food and beverage options and speedier service
Brands backing women’s sport is wonderful – but they are followers, not leaders
Richard Gillis on why we should avoid the trap of projecting a moral compass on to multinationals, or thinking that brands take a leading role in important societal issues.
Roma and the Bundesliga bring the banter to win fans and engage people on social media
As clubs and rights-holders from across football continue to adopt more human and humorous voices on social media, representatives from AS Roma and the Bundesliga explain the commercial benefits that underpin the strategy.
Everton FC | Gathering fan data in the age of GDPR
Ben Cronin asks Everton's director of risk & governance Paul McNicholas; Kyle Cockett, senior insight manager; and the club's first data protection officer Ian Garratt about its strategies regarding how it uses fan data.
How can clubs profit from betting partnerships without suffering reputational damage?
Betting sponsorships have proliferated in English football, but how are clubs activating these partnerships and building fruitful relationships in an evolving sector? We talk with two speakers from Sports Betting Community’s Betting on Football 2019 conference to find out.
Le Floc’h: Fifa Women’s World Cup sponsorship rights could be unbundled in 2022
Women’s World Cup currently has two-tier sponsorship model
Global Partner tier includes sponsorship rights to all Fifa events